Follow Me
by BlackRose86
Summary: This is an AU fic taking place with Lindsay in High School, in which one event leads Lindsay to lose her friends but then a new boy comes to school and helps her get through. Sorry, bad at summaries...Warning: Rated T for mention of rape and self-harm.D/L
1. An ordinary summer day

**A/N: Hi, I'm a first time fanfic poster so I apologize if I forget to say something. This is AU and will be Danny/Lindsay eventually even though he doesn't show up just yet. The idea for this story came from a Sarah Dessen book called _Just Listen_. The only characters that aren't mine are Lindsay and Danny. I made up relatives and their names as well as teachers and friends. All spelling, grammar and tense mistakes are my own.  
**

**Just a warning: There is mentions of rape and self-harm.**

It was just another ordinary July summer day, but Lindsay Monroe had no clue how much her life would change that ordinary summer night. Lindsay was invited to an exclusive high school senior's party with her best friend Madison Shay. It was actually Madison who was invited but she was told she could bring a friend so that's how Lindsay was invited.

Madison was popular and knew all the right people; Lindsay was quiet, smart and kept to her studies. Lindsay and Madison went to an elite private school in New York City and were going into their sophomore year. They had met in class their freshman year when Madison and Lindsay were partnered in their science class. It was Madison who had made all the friends while Lindsay was friends by association.

While Lindsay was only 5'3", average weight but on the thin side with chestnut wavy hair just longer than her shoulders with sweet eyes and a young face, Madison was 5'7", thin with black straight hair down to her mid back and striking blue eyes with a sharp face. Boys seemed to gravitate towards Madison which is how she was often invited to parties. It also helped that she was dating the soon to be senior football star, Jason.

Lindsay's parents would never let her go to a party so she told them she was sleeping at Madison's house that night. Lindsay parents were very wealthy, living in a penthouse apartment having made their money years early when they still lived in Montana. They had high hopes for their only daughter Lindsay and constantly pushed her to only get straight A's.

On the other hand, Madison's parents were pretty young and tended to be more of a best friend to their daughter than parents so they let her have fun. They had both come from wealthy families and had rebelled, getting married young and having a kid young. In the end, her father had gone back to his family business which allowed them to live a lavish lifestyle. They didn't want to raise Madison in the strict form that they were raised so they were very lenient.

After getting ready at Madison's apartment, Lindsay and Madison headed to the party. It was at Steve's town house whose parents went to Europe for the summer leaving Steve and his older sister with the place. When they got to the party, Madison grabbed Lindsay's hand and said, "Follow me," so Lindsay followed as Madison led Lindsay through the crowd. It started off just fine; Lindsay followed Madison around for a while, taking a beer when it was handed to her. She had a few more and somewhere along the way she lost Madison. Lindsay decided she needed to get out of the crowd; she was starting to feel a little dizzy so she went into one of the rooms.

The lights were out so Lindsay tried to steady herself by leaning against the wall when all of a sudden she heard someone come in. The person got really close and said "shhh, it's just me Lindsay." Immediately, Lindsay knew it was Jason. He must have seen her go into the room and followed her. She had heard rumors that he eyed other girls possibly had cheated on Madison but didn't know what to believe until that night. She could make out his eyes in the dark; they were only inches from hers. The look on his eyes told her she was in trouble but she had had too much to drink so she couldn't think straight.

He pushed up against her and started kissing her with ferocity. She tried to push him off but her brain was working slower than normal. His hands started to move all over her until it got down to her skirt which he started to push up. She tried with more fervor to push him away but he was a football player and clearly so much stronger than her. He pushed her underwear aside and stuck one finger, than another into her. He was about to add another when the door to the room opened again and the lights went on. Jason jumped back and Lindsay tried to straighten herself out. When she looked to the door she saw Madison looking back at her first with confusion written on her face, then realization and then anger.

"What's going on?" Madison asked Jason.

"What are you talking about?" He asked feigning innocence.

"You know what I'm talking about!" She said more forcefully as she came closer. "Her!" She said as she pointed at Lindsay.

"Oh, she came onto me. She tried to seduce me but I told her I only had eyes for you. She wouldn't take no for an answer," he lied.

Lindsay could see Madison trying to decide who to believe and while she knew she should say something, try and tell Madison what had happened, she couldn't bring herself to talk. Lindsay couldn't believe what had almost happened and the alcohol induced fog she was in wouldn't let her think straight. Madison finally turned to Lindsay and her face turned hard. "How could you go after my boyfriend?" Madison hissed.

Lindsay tried to open her mouth to say something but her mouth was dry and nothing came out. "Slut," Madison spat.

"Slut," Jason agreed.

The sound of his voice again snapped Lindsay out of her trance and she pushed passed them. She didn't know what to do, she couldn't think straight. She found herself at a phone in the hallway calling 911 before she could stop herself. She was hyperventilating by the time someone picked up. "911, what's your emergency," the operator said.

"I'm at a party; I was just…some one just…" Lindsay couldn't say the words.

"Hello," the operator asked after a few moments of silence. Lindsay couldn't find her voice to respond. "We have your address and we're sending some one over now," the operator concluded.

Lindsay couldn't process what was going on, she just let the phone drop. Someone picked up in time to hear the operator say that the police were on their way. "You called the police?!" Some one yelled. More people started to look at her and get angry and panic. She could hear people passing it around, saying that Lindsay Monroe had called the cops. There was a lot of movement and a lot of confusion and some how in all that, Lindsay was able to get out of the town house before the cops came.

Lindsay ran as far away as she could before she slowed down to a walk. Her mind was whirring and she couldn't get his voice out of her head, "shhh, it's just me Lindsay." Her stomach hurt and she could feel him pushing his fingers inside her; she felt something coming up in her throat so she went to some bushes and threw up whatever was in her stomach.

She didn't know what to do, she couldn't go back to Madison's tonight and her parents weren't expecting her home. She was lucky enough that she brought her keys, wallet and phone with her and hadn't left them at Madison's. Lindsay decided to go home and just tell her parents that Madison and she were dressing up and then got into a fight so she decided to go home. She only hoped that they didn't smell the alcohol on her breath.

Lindsay made it home and up to her room without running into her parents which was a relief. She threw up again and then took a shower, brushed her teeth and cried herself to sleep. In the morning, she told her parents the prepared story and they believed her.

For the rest of the summer Lindsay's parents decided she should work at her dad's law firm. She did what she was told day to day but with no enthusiasm, she lost some spark that she used to have.

Before this summer Lindsay was always stressed and to relieve some of that stress she would cut once in a while. It was something she found that would relieve the pressure and panic she felt and it helped. She would hide the cuts with bracelets and wrist cuffs. After her encounter with Jason, the cutting became more prevalent.

When it came to Madison and other people from school, she found herself getting prank calls and IM's calling her a slut or a bitch or a whore. It looked like Madison had also told everyone about how she "seduced" Jason. Lindsay was dreading the beginning of the school year but it was getting closer and closer until it was finally upon her.

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**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think.**


	2. First Day of Classes

**A/N: Sorry, this is probably a boring chapter with some background on Lindsay's school day and the taunts that came with it. No Danny yet but I promise he will make an appearance soon.**

**Oh, and thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate them!  
**

It was the first day of classes in Lindsay's sophomore year and she couldn't be dreading it more. She hadn't seen anyone from school since that night at Steve's party and she liked it that way but all that was about to change. She used to walk with Madison to school everyday but now she had to walk alone.

When Lindsay walked into the school she felt like all eyes were on her. She heard whispers as she walked and saw some fingers point at her. People called her nasty names and some one even pushed her hard enough to knock her off her feet. Others would 'accidentally' bump into her, some gave her the finger but she always felt like all eyes were on her.

At one point she couldn't take it anymore, everyone's stares were like needles and she started to panic so she ran to the bathroom. She found the bathroom empty so she went into a stall and took out a razor that she kept in her bag, found a place on her wrist and made a small cut. She felt an instant release and after cleaning up she walked back out to the halls and went to her first class, math with Mr. Harper.

Mr. Harper was a black man about mid thirties with a kind face. She felt some eyes on her as she walked in and maybe even heard someone cough 'whore' but she couldn't be sure if it really happened or if it was just in her mind.

Next she had biology with Mr. Mason, a tall white man, late twenties, thick black hair with dimples. He was new and instantly all the girls favorite. When Lindsay walked in she saw that Madison was in her class and was flirting with the teacher. When Madison saw Lindsay walk in she coughed out 'whore!' Lindsay was sure of it this time because even the teacher looked from Madison to Lindsay. Thank God Mr. Mason put them in alphabetical order so she was nowhere near Madison.

After Biology, Lindsay moved on to Latin with Ms. Minnick. This class was something her parents strongly encouraged her to take so she could prepare for the SAT's. Ms. Minnick was a tall woman in her 50's with graying black hair. She reminded Lindsay of a witch and the woman's crabby attitude did nothing to dissuade that. There were a few people from the party in that class but no one made any comments to Lindsay's relief.

Lunch was next which got Lindsay some stares, whispers and a few people cut her in line. Lindsay bought her lunch, then went to the back corner of the dining hall and sat by herself. She felt people looking at her and got some paper thrown at her but nothing too bad.

Lunch period was split with a mandatory ethics class which Lindsay had with Mrs. Anderson, a short red head about late thirties. Madison was in this class with her again and so was her friend Mercedes who was Steve's sister. She made sure not to sit near them; luckily it wasn't alphabetical because Mercedes last name was Nash. She saw them passing notes to each other with the occasional glance in Lindsay's direction.

History came next with Miss. Aronson. She was short with blond hair, late twenties with a southern twang. She was always the guy's favorite teacher; they thought she was hot. Madison's new best friend Lexie came in with a few of their other friends Jackie, Annabel and Zoë. They saw Lindsay and started whispering to each other and laughing. She sat in the back corner of the room away from everyone but she could feel the stares.

For sixth period, Lindsay had Law which was a class her dad implied he'd be strongly disappointed if she didn't take; which meant she had no choice. The teacher for that class happened to also be a professor at NYU so he asked to be called Dr. Vans. He was about fifty with graying hair and a tired face.

Finally, Lindsey had advanced English, another parent requirement with Mrs. Goldstein. Mrs. Goldstein was a short, round woman about mid forties with an always happy attitude. Lindsay felt some people looking at her and even thought she felt a spit ball bounce off her back. She ignored it and tried to pay attention as best she could.

When her English class was finally over Lindsay was relieved, she could finally go home and get away from everyone. On her way out she got a few more stares, a push or two and from Madison she was called a bitch.

She walked home slowly so she could think. Going through her day she started to feel lonely and began to feel sorry for herself. When she got home she went straight up to her room and took out her razor and made another cut. She then started her homework.

When she was called down for dinner she got the inevitable questions about her first day of school which she answered with little enthusiasm.

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Please, Please review. I want to know what people think.


	3. One Teacher Took a Liking

**A/N: Hi again. Thank you for the reviews. Since this is my first time posting a story I'm so worried I will let all you readers down. So much pressure…I really hope I don't disappoint. I'm a little worried about how this chapter will go over with readers so I hope I don't lose any. No Danny yet but I promise he comes in the next chapter.**

**As some have said in reviews, this is a dark story. I don't know why but for some reason I am drawn to dark stories…maybe it's all the Lifetime movies I watch or the young adult books I read.  
**

**Warning: Some adult, sexual content but it is mild, nothing too explicit.**

The next few weeks went about the same, with many stares, some name calling and the occasional shove. One teacher in particular however took a liking to Lindsay, Mr. Mason.

Ever since the first day of classes when Madison called Lindsay a 'whore', Mr. Mason had kept a close eye on her. He would call on her to answer questions which she always got right and her work on labs was almost always perfect. During lab when he went around talking to all the groups, he would often spend a little more time talking to Lindsay who often had questions that were more intelligible than the other groups.

With the odd number in the class, Lindsay asked to work alone and after some convincing, Mr. Mason allowed it.

Despite all of Madison's attempts to flirt with Mr. Mason, he showed no interest in her which pissed Madison off to no end. In her experience, Madison could get the attention of any male she felt like but he was not responding. What pissed her off more was the he did pay attention to Lindsay, the girl Madison hated and that made Lindsay smile a little.

Lindsay didn't normally look for this kind of attention but ever since the party, she had been feeling very lonely. When she was in elementary and middle school, Lindsay had had plenty of friends but then her parents decided to send her to a private school that most of her friends didn't go to.

When Lindsay became friends with Madison, what previous friends she did have that came to the new private school, drifted away. Madison had a way of keeping Lindsay from making any true friends; Madison liked control and took pleasure in controlling who Lindsay could and couldn't be friends with.

Lindsay put up with Madison's antics because when it was just the two of them, she really had a great time. It also didn't hurt to have the social status that came with being Madison's friend. But now, all of that was gone and Lindsay missed having someone…anyone; and that's why she let things go the way they did one night in October.

It was a Monday after school and Lindsay had stayed late to do some research in the library for a project. She was walking out of the library when she saw Jason and he saw her right back. He grinned at her and started to walk towards her. She told herself that she should move, run, do something but her body wouldn't respond; she had no control over herself.

Instead, she stayed planted to the ground, the feeling of something coming up in her throat. He got really close to her, each facing the other and put his hand on her shoulder. Lindsay tensed at the contact and shivered when he whispered right in her ear, "shhh, it's just me Lindsay," then kept on walking.

When she could finally move, she ran to the bathroom and threw up. She came out of the stall, washed out her mouth, put some cool water on her face and then found a piece of gum in her backpack and chewed it until the taste of vomit was gone. She spit out the gum and walked out of the bathroom where Mr. Mason was waiting for her.

Little did Lindsay know but while the whole thing with Jason was taking place, Mr. Mason was watching from his office. "Are you ok," he asked her.

"Yea, I'm fine," she replied not looking up.

"Come to my office; follow me" he said and led her to his office.

She didn't know why she was following, maybe it was because she was feeling vulnerable or that he was paying the attention to her that she so desperately craved; either way she didn't hesitate. When they got into his office, he closed the door and led her to the couch where they both sat down.

"Are you ok Lindsay," he asked again.

"I'm fine," she said again but not convincingly as a tear fell. She normally didn't allow herself to cry in front of people but she was feeling that pressure again, that panic.

"You're a wonderful, smart, beautiful girl and shouldn't let what anyone says bother you," Mr. Mason said as he put his hand on her cheek to wipe away a few tears.

He didn't get it, he didn't know what she was going through and something kept her from telling him but when he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, she didn't stop him.

She didn't stop him when he put his tongue in her mouth, she didn't stop him when his hands traveled down to her hips or when he moved to lay her down on the couch. She let him feel her up and down and even kicked off her shoes and socks. She helped him take off her shirt and bra and let him kiss her bare skin. She watched as he took off his own shirt, shoes and socks. She didn't stop him from taking off her pants and underwear. She wasn't surprised when he soon moved to taking off his own pants and underwear or when he put on a condom. She almost welcomed the pain that came from being a virgin when he entered her, the pressure and the panic seemed to disappear with the arrival of pain. She let herself kiss him back, but there was no pleasure for her.

The whole time she felt like she was outside of her body watching down on what was happening. When he was done, they both got dressed. "I'm glad we did this," he said.

Lindsay just smiled and kissed him again because she thought that was an appropriate response. "Let me walk you out, ok," he said.

"Ok," Lindsay agreed and followed him out of his office to the exit where she began her walk home.

Lindsay didn't know what to make of their 'interaction' but she liked having something else to herself. But was she really in control?

Tuesday she noticed that Mr. Mason was eying her more than usual during his class and she could tell that Madison was jealous. When Lindsay went to walk out of his class that day, Madison gave her an extra hard shove as she pushed by her. Madison must have told all her friends to be extra mean to Lindsay that day because she got more names thrown at her than she could remember happening in a while.

Wednesday during his class, Mr. Mason asked Lindsay to come by his office after school that day to talk about one of her labs. On her way to his office, she passed Madison and Jason in the hall, Madison glaring at her and Jason grinning knowingly at her.

She felt the familiar panic rising in her stomach but hurried away. She was able to make it to Mr. Mason's office without throwing up and when she got in, he shut the door behind her and started kissing her. "I've been thinking about you a lot," he told her between kisses.

Again, they wound up on the couch naked with the only release for Lindsay being from the panic. Again, it was as if she was watching herself from somewhere else, disconnected.

After Mr. Mason walked Lindsay to the exit, while she was walking home, she wasn't so sure she liked how she felt with Mr. Mason, so disconnected from her-self.

Lindsay was happy when the weekend finally came and she was able to leave the school and not have to go back for two days. She felt like she needed the weekend to get away so she did all her homework on Friday with the intention of going to Central Park on Saturday and Sunday to do nothing.

When her father heard she had finished her homework already he insisted that she come to his law firm that weekend to get in a good weekends work. As always, she obliged and again, her life was taken out of her hands.

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Thanks for reading, don't give up on me yet if you didn't like this chapter. Please review.


	4. He Had Ice Blue Eyes

**A/N: Ok, Danny is here, yay!!! The private school I talk about is completely made up as is their dress code. Sorry for the OOC-ness of this fan fiction, like I said, I'm too influenced by YA books and Lifetime movies. I'll try and incorporate their characters in future chapters. **

**I know the last chapter was a shocker but I felt like Lindsay was very vulnerable and seeking attention and she found it in the comfort of an older man.**

The next Monday Lindsay walked into the school without feeling one bit less stressed than when she left on Friday. Her parents felt that if she wasn't studying, she should be working so they kept her busy and never really noticed the changes in her.

When she was walking to her first period class that day, she heard someone say excuse me. She kept walking because no one had talked directly to her in months but then she heard again, "excuse me?"

She turned around to see a guy; about 5'9" with sandy brown close cut hair with glasses some facial hair around his mouth and a body that showed he clearly worked out. He had a tough guy look to him but something sweet in him too. He had ice blue eyes that Lindsay couldn't help but stare at.

While the school didn't have a specific uniform they required a white plain top, khaki bottoms and if they wanted to wear a sweatshirt is had to be plain navy. Shoulders had to be covered, boys had to wear pants and girls either wore pants or a skirt no shorter than their knees. Lindsay noticed that Danny had on a white wife beater under his blue zip hoodie which told her he was somewhat of a rebel.

"Are you talking to me," Lindsay asked curiously.

"Yea," he replied with a smile that knocked the breath out of Lindsay. "I'm new here and I was wondering if you could tell me where the office was."

He had a thick New York accent which made Lindsay smile. "Yea, sure, I'll bring you there," she responded.

He smiled again and followed as she led him to the office. Once he started to walk into the office Lindsay thought that that would be all, that he'd go in and probably never talk to her again.

When he got to the door he turned around to face Lindsay. "I'm Danny," he said and held out his hand.

Lindsay looked at his hand a little shocked and then placed hers in his and said, "I'm Lindsay." His hands were a little rough like he liked to work with them a lot.

"Thank you Lindsay," he replied as they shook hands.

"You're welcome," she responded with a smile.

She walked back towards her class as he disappeared into the office. She felt something inside her that she hadn't felt in a while…excitement. But she knew she shouldn't let it get to her because she was sure someone would tell him about her and then he'd never talk to her again.

When she got to her math class she sat in her seat as usual but just as the teacher was about to get started, the door to the class opened and in walked Danny. He scanned the room and when his eyes landed on hers he smiled so she smiled back.

Danny went to Mr. Harper and handed him a piece of paper which he read and then turned to the class. "Class, this is Danny Messer, he is new here," then he turned back to Danny. "We sit in alphabetical order here so Messer will be…" he checked his book, "in front of Lindsay Monroe."

Mr. Harper looked up at Lindsay and said, "normally I leave the back row open but it's easier to move Miss Monroe back than to move everyone around so if you will Miss Monroe," he said as he motioned for her to move back and then for Danny to take his seat.

Lindsay moved back and Danny walked to his seat. He smiled at Lindsay as he got closer then sat in the seat she had just occupied. The rest of the class was boring but when class was over and they were getting ready to go she noticed that Danny was waiting for her. "I'm sorry," he said.

"For what," Lindsay asked as she stood up from putting her books in her bag, confused by his confession. She found that she couldn't look at him, maybe afraid that he wasn't really there, wasn't really talking to her.

"For stealing your seat," he replied like it was obvious.

She smiled, still not looking at him, "don't worry about it, I don't mind."

"Where are you headed next," he asked.

"Biology with Mr. Mason," she replied as they began to walk out of the classroom.

"Then I apologize in advance if I steal your seat again," he said.

She finally looked up at him, "you have him too?" When he nodded she smiled and said, "Then follow me."

In the hall on the walk to their next class Madison walked by Lindsay and coughed out 'slut!' Lindsay ducked her head, embarrassed that Danny had heard that. When someone else called her a 'bitch' all she wanted to do was crawl into a hole but she kept walking.

Danny was confused by the remarks but when he looked to get Lindsay's attention, she wouldn't look at him.

When they got to class she took her normal seat while Danny went to Mr. Mason. Like in the class before, Lindsay was moved back so Danny could take her seat. When it was time for the day's lab, Danny asked Lindsay if he could partner with her. She was shocked considering that he had heard what people called her but said 'sure'.

At one point during the lab, Madison pushed passed Lindsay who ignored it and went over to Danny. "Hi, I'm Madison, you can come join my lab group if you'd like," she flirted.

Danny looked from Lindsay to Madison, "No, I'm fine thanks," he replied. Danny looked down as Madison walked away but Lindsay looked up in time to see that she was pissed. She wasn't used to her natural beauty not winning guys over.

When Mr. Mason walked by the groups that day, Lindsay kept her answer and questions to a minimum which Mr. Mason didn't seem to like. After class she made sure to walk with Danny out so Mr. Mason didn't have time to talk to her.

"Where are you going next," Lindsay asked.

After consulting his schedule he replied, "Gym with Mr. Bradford."

"Oh," Lindsay replied in disappointment. He assumed that meant that she wasn't in his class.

"Can you tell me how to get there," he asked with a helpless shrug which Lindsay found extremely cute.

After explaining how to get there he said 'see you around' and they went separate ways.

Lindsay was afraid that now that he was off on his own, some one would tell him about her and that would be the end of that; he'd never want to talk to her again.

Lindsay was right about people talking about her. When Danny got to gym he met some guys, Mike, Matt and Andrew. After introducing themselves to Danny, Matt said "hey, I think you're in my bio class, with Mr. Mason?"

"Yea, before this class right," Danny replied.

"Yea," Matt confirmed. "You were partnered with the bitch."

"Who," Mike asked.

Matt turned to Mike, "you remember, the bitch who called the cops on Steve's party this past summer. I got arrested but luckily my dad got me off."

"Oh yea," Andrew chimed in. "My friend got arrested that night too. Lindsay something..."

Matt turned to Danny and said, "you can join my group if you want, I'm sure Mr. Mason wouldn't mind."

"No, that's ok, I'm sure I'll be fine," Danny replied. He was never one to follow the crowd anyway.

"Ok, suit yourself," Matt said and then they got on with the baseball game they were playing.

It turned out that Danny, Mike and Andrew had lunch together next so after they changed they went to the dining hall. What Danny didn't know was that Lindsay had lunch at that time too but neither saw the other.

After lunch when it was time for their ethics class, Mike, Andrew and Danny all walked together.

Lindsay had gotten to her ethics class early and had taken a seat in the back corner when she saw Danny walk in with Mike and Andrew. She was sure they had told him about what happened at the party since they were friends with Matt who had gotten arrested. She didn't expect him to talk to her again now that he seemed to have friends. So it was a surprise when Danny looked around the room, spotted her, said something to Mike and Andrew and walked to the seat in front of her.

He turned around to face her but before he said anything she said, "You know you can choose your own seat in this class, it's not alphabetical, and you don't have to sit in front of me." She didn't say it with a harsh tone, more of a sad, pleading tone.

"I know," Danny replied, "Mike told me." When she gave him a questioning look he asked, "What?"

"I'm sure they told you what happened over the summer. You probably shouldn't be seen with me," she warned.

Danny just shrugged and said, "I don't care what they said." He turned to face forward when the teacher came in and Lindsay let a guarded smile escape.

At the end of class, Danny asked what the rest of her day looked like. While she had history, law and then English, he had English, history and technology so they said their goodbyes. She didn't see him again that day but his eyes left a lasting impression.

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**Hope you enjoyed. Please Review. :)**


	5. Out To Lunch

**A/N: Time for Danny and Lindsay to spend a little time together. I tried to make Danny a little more like his character on the show but I don't know if I succeeded. Oh and just a reminder, all spelling, grammar and tense mistakes are my own.  
**

Tuesday and Wednesday went by pretty fast, not too many incidents and little conversations here and there with Danny when they could. She wouldn't let herself be alone with Mr. Mason which he must have sensed because he kept eyeing her in class.

When it came to Danny, Lindsay found herself looking forward to seeing him; she finally had someone that talked to her at school. She didn't know if she could call him a friend just yet, she didn't know what he was thinking or what people were telling him.

Lindsay did however enjoy that despite Madison's continued attempts to flirt with Danny, he seemed unfazed.

Thursday everything was going well until lunch time. Lindsay was on line waiting to pay for her lunch when Jason, Madison and Lexie all paraded past her. First Jason called her a 'bitch' and pushed into her causing her to drop her tray, then Madison pushed by calling her a 'whore' and finally, Lexie topped it off by calling her a 'slut'.

Danny happened to be on line behind Lindsay and upon hearing a tray crash and someone being called a 'bitch', Danny looked to see what was going on. He looked over in time to see that it was Lindsay who had dropped her tray and a guy and two girls who bumped into her and were calling her names.

Lindsay couldn't move; it was the same frozen feeling she got every time she saw Jason. She just stood there with her tray on the ground and here eyes down.

Danny walked over to Jason and got in his face. "You got a problem," he asked angrily.

"Not with you," Jason replied, "with that bitch," he motioned towards Lindsay calmly.

"Don't call her a bitch," Danny demanded getting more in Jason's face. Lindsay couldn't believe what was going on.

"Or what, huh? What are you going to do about it," Jason questioned mockingly moving right back into Danny's face. The two boys were having a stand-off in the middle of the lunch line. When Lindsay thought Danny might punch Jason she took hold of his arm and pulled him a little.

When Danny felt Lindsay pull his arm he decided not to cause a scene so he led Lindsay out of the line.

When Lindsay thought he was going to stop at a table, he kept going. "Follow me" he said as he took her hand.

Once in the hallway she asked, "Where are we going?"

"Out," he replied simply.

"Out," Lindsay questioned confused.

"Out to lunch," Danny explained.

Lindsay stopped walking and Danny faced her. "You know this is a closed campus, we can't leave the grounds," she explained.

He smiled and asked, "Do you trust me?" Lindsay had only known him for a few days but for some reason she couldn't help but trust him so when she nodded yes he took her and again said, "Then follow me."

So Lindsay followed him down some stairs where she had never been before. They got to the loading docks which was right by the Janitors office. When Danny started walking towards the exit a voice said, "Where are you going?"

Lindsay got scared; she thought they were going to get in trouble but Danny calmly replied, "I'm taking my friend out to lunch."

The man looked like he was sizing Danny up and then said, "Make sure you get back before your next class and bring her back in one piece."

Lindsay just stood their confused but Danny smiled. "This is my dad," Danny explained.

"Oh," Lindsay said a little surprised.

"Dad, this is Lindsay, Lindsay this is my dad," Danny introduced. "My dad works maintenance here," he explained.

"Hello Lindsay, nice to meet you" Danny's father said with his hand held out to her.

She gave him her hand and said "Nice to meet you too Mr. Messer," as they shook.

He put his other hand on top of both of theirs and said warmly, "Please, call me Joey, no mister, just Joey." Joey was no taller than Danny but rounder with a sweet, tired face, the same blue eyes as Danny and graying hair.

Lindsay smiled and said, "Nice to meet you…Joey."

They dropped hands and Joey looked back at Danny. "Like I said, be back on time or I could get in trouble."

"Ok," Danny promised as he and Lindsay walked out.

They walked for a while when Lindsay took a breath and asked, "Why are you hanging out with me?"

"What," Danny asked confused.

"I'm sure Matt told you I called the cops at a party; talking to me is like committing social suicide," she explained.

"I told you, I don't care," he said lightly. "If talking to you is social suicide than at least I'll be committing it while talking to a beautiful girl."

Lindsay let a shy smile grace her lips. They found a café to eat at and after sitting at a table Lindsay admitted, "I did call the cops."

"That explains the 'bitch' comments but not…" he pretended to think hard, "what was it…'whore' and 'slut.' Who were they," Danny asked.

"Well, you know Madison from biology and Lexie is her best friend. Jason, the guy you almost beat up is Madison's boyfriend." Lindsay took a deep breath and Danny could tell she was contemplating whether or not to continue.

"You don't have to tell me," he assured her.

"No, I want to. Jason tried to rape me at that party," she said quietly. She was looking down at her lap, afraid of what Danny's reaction might be. She was shocked when she felt his hand on her chin lifting her to look at him. All she saw was concern in his eyes so she continued as he took his hand back.

"Madison walked in and she saw us. I just froze; I couldn't say anything so Jason told her I seduced him. Of course she believed him; I began to panic, I couldn't think straight so I called the cops. I was going to tell them that someone tried to rape me but I froze again. Someone at the party picked up the line and heard the police on the other line and everyone freaked out. They knew it was me who had called and I guess Madison told them what she thought happened in that room. Needless to say, she stopped being my friend and everyone at school knows what happened." Lindsay took a breath as tears began to fall. She didn't try to hide it like she did with Mr. Mason, she let them come out.

"You're the first person I've told that too," Lindsay admitted quietly as she looked down, her hands on the table fidgeting.

Danny took one of Lindsay's hands in his own hand and said with sincere compassion, "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone."

She let out a small smile, "thanks."

"Come on," Danny said as he started to get up, "we should start heading back."

They walked back in silence for a while before it got to be too much for Lindsay. "What are you thinking," she asked Danny.

"I'm thinking…how much I'd like to go back to the dining hall and kick Jason's ass…but I promised my dad no more fights," Danny explained.

She smiled slightly and questioned, "Fights?"

"Yea, I got in some fights before switching schools," Danny explained but didn't go further and Lindsay didn't push but now she was happy that she had stopped him from punching Jason.

When they got back to the loading dock they saw Danny's dad. When he saw them he asked, "How was lunch?"

They both said it was good and then said goodbye and went to their ethics class together. When that class was over, before they went their separate ways, Lindsay stopped Danny and looked him in those ice blue eyes she liked so much. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

Danny replied, "You're welcome," with a shrug like it was the most natural thing in the world.

After school that day, when Lindsay was getting ready to leave, she saw Mr. Mason looking at her. She knew what he wanted but she couldn't go there again. Danny made her feel special, he saw her, talked to her, listened to her. Her only wish was that she had met Danny a week earlier and the whole thing with Mr. Mason wouldn't have happened.

As she walked out of the building she felt Mr. Mason's eyes following her.

* * *

Please review. More Danny and Lindsay time coming up in the next chapter so stay tuned!


	6. It Goes To Your Eyes

**A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed! I don't actually have a location for where the private school is so let's pretend it's in walk-able distance to Central Park. Sorry it's a short chapter.  
**

The next day Danny told Lindsay to meet him by the stairs before lunch and she agreed to do so but curiosity plagued her the rest of the morning. During Biology that day Danny noticed that Mr. Mason tended to hover around Lindsay more than others which made him uncomfortable but he tried to ignore it.

When lunch time finally came, she met him there like she promised. They walked down to his dad's office and Danny pulled out two sandwiches from Joey's fridge.

"What's that," Lindsay asked.

"The daily special from the deli my uncle owns. I thought we could use some real food, not the stuff they serve here," Danny explained.

She took the one he handed her, left her bag in Joey's office like Danny did and followed him out to the street.

"Your uncle owns a deli," she asked as they walked.

"Yup, best Italian deli in Brooklyn," he responded as he guided her across the street. Danny wound up leading Lindsay to the edge of Central Park where they sat on a bench to eat. They were silent for a while when Danny said, "tell me about yourself."

Shocked by the sudden end to their silence, Lindsay was caught off guard. "What," she questioned.

Danny turned to face Lindsay and continued, "Tell me about yourself; what are your likes and dislikes?"

Lindsay struggled, "I…uh…likes?"

When he saw that he had caught her off guard Danny began to talk again. "Yea, like I like baseball, I like working on cars with my dad, I like riding on my Harley…" when she didn't look at him he added jokingly, "I like long walks on the beach," which got a smile and a little laugh out of her as she looked up at him.

"You have a Harley," Lindsay asked.

"Yea, my dad and I bought it used and we fixed it up together," he explained.

"Fixed it up," she questioned.

"Yea, my dad worked at a garage before he took the job here. He still works there some days and I help out there when I can. I was getting into too much trouble at my old public school so he decided to take the maintenance job here so I could get free tuition," Danny explained.

"Trouble," Lindsay asked, Danny smiled.

"You like to ask a lot of questions," he laughed and all she did was smile. Lindsay liked getting to know Danny.

He continued to explain, "I got into some fights here and there. I was hanging out with the wrong crowd, the kind that always found trouble," Danny clarified.

"Oh," Lindsay said. Danny wasn't sure how she was going to respond to this new piece of information but he saw her smile and say, "I always wanted to go on a motorcycle," Lindsay said wistfully.

"Yea," Danny asked surprised.

Again Lindsay laughed and looked at him and gave him a little push on the shoulder. "Yea, is that so hard to believe?" Danny pretended to be hurt by her push. "It seems freeing, like no one can hold you back," she continued.

"Ok, so it's your turn. What are your likes," he asked.

Lindsay thought for a moment and then began. "I like walking aimlessly with no where to be. I like Fall, when the leaves are changing color and falling, when it's just getting cool and you can take a deep breath and know that it's no longer summer. I like going to Central Park and walking around with nothing to do, nothing to worry about, and no one telling you what to do. I like the quiet of the park even though it's in the middle of the city and there are probably hundreds of cars around," Lindsay responded dreamily. Danny just looked at her, not sure what to make of the look in her eyes, she looked so sad.

Just then the wind blew a little and Lindsay let out a shiver.

Danny took off his sweatshirt and put it around her. "Here," he said.

She pulled it close around her. She looked over at Danny who was in a white tank top. She saw a tattoo on his shoulder and said, "I didn't know you had a tattoo."

He looked at it and then at her. "Yea, I got it back when I was hanging out with the wrong crowd."

They got up to start heading back to the school when Lindsay said, "I like it." Danny smiled and Lindsay asked "are you sure you're not cold?"

"Nah, I can take it," he said as he puffed out his chest. Just then a strong wind came and he let out a shiver. Lindsay let out a full on giggle. Danny stared at her with a smile on his face.

"What," she asked self-consciously.

"You should do that more often," he stated.

"Do what," Lindsay asked.

"Laugh," he replied. "It goes to your eyes. It's beautiful and you have little dimples that show up too."

Lindsay blushed and they kept walking back to the school. She hadn't laughed in a long time; she couldn't remember the last time she had laughed, really laughed.

* * *

Please Review :)


	7. That's Where She Left Her Happiness

**A/N: Thanks for all your reviews, I really appreciate them! Most of the family stuff in this chapter is made up. It's kind of long.**

**Note: I re-posted this chapter with one little change to try and explain something I got a comment on.  
**

Over the weekend, Lindsay had to work at her dad's office again and finish up a project. The next week Lindsay and Danny ate in the dining hall some days or went to Joey's office if he was out. Lindsay got some names occasionally thrown her way and a shove or two but nothing she couldn't handle.

On Thursday of the following week Danny met Lindsay in the hall at the end of the day and asked if she was busy after school on Friday.

"Why," Lindsay asked curiously.

"I just want to know," he said vaguely.

"No," she replied, "I'm free."

"Ok, then make sure you keep it that way," he said with an underlying excitement.

"Why," Lindsay asked again intrigued.

"Just meet me at the stairs after school tomorrow," he avoided. When she gave him a look he added with a smile, "Just do it." She smiled acceptingly.

Friday they ate lunch in the dining hall during which Lindsay tried to get more information out of Danny. "Please tell me what's going on," she begged.

Danny shook his head no and said, "It's a surprise, you're not getting anything out of me."

At the end of the day Lindsay did as she was told and met him by the stairs. He grabbed her hand and said, "Follow me."

He led her down to his father's office and told her to leave her bag in his office. She did as she was told and after looking her over, Danny took off his jacket and said, "You're going to need this." He helped her put it on.

Lindsay gave him a questioning look but all he did was lead her out to the loading dock where she was surprised to see a Harley.

"Is that you're bike," she asked with excitement. When he nodded yes she smiled a big bright smile.

"Come on, we're going for a ride," he said as he helped her put a helmet on. He got on the bike and instructed her to get on behind him. Lindsay was a little nervous; she didn't know what to do with her hands. "Ok, put your hands on my waist and hold on," he told her.

Lindsay put her hands lightly on his waist but he took them and wrapped them around him. "Hold on tight," he said and then they were off.

Lindsay couldn't believe how much fun she was having. She felt so free with the wind blowing, her arms around Danny and the fall colors. Danny took them around Central Park once and then pulled up to a hotel. She saw someone coming over to them and was a little confused.

"Hey Danny," the guy said as Danny pulled off his helmet. Lindsay took off hers too and after Danny got off the bike, he helped Lindsay get off.

"So this is her," the guy asked.

"Yup," Danny answered with a smile that looked almost like pride.

The guy turned his attention to Lindsay and said, "Danny told me he knew a girl from school who wanted to ride his Harley and I didn't believe him; not a private school girl." He looked to Danny who had a smug smile on his face and then back to Lindsay. "I guess he proved me wrong. I'm Dominick," he introduced and put his hand out to Lindsay.

"Lindsay," she said as she took his hand and shook it.

"This is my cousin," Danny introduced. "He works valet here and he said he'd hold onto my bike while we're gone."

"Where are we going," she asked.

"You'll see," he answered. He shook his head in mocking annoyance, "Always trying to ruin the surprise."

He gave his keys to Dominick who said, "Remember, no more than two hours." Danny nodded and then took Lindsay by the hand and walked towards the park.

As they walked through the park Lindsay couldn't help but look up at all the trees changing color. She loved everything about this moment. They took a seat on a bench and just sat in silence for a while.

Lindsay went to push a stray hair behind her ear when Danny's jacket and her sleeve must have come up because Danny took hold of her wrist and pushed them both up revealing some old scars and some fresh scabs. Lindsay pulled her arm back, pushed down the sleeves and looked down ashamed.

"You cut," Danny said. It was more of a statement than a question but Lindsay couldn't look at him. She mostly would find places to cut that were easy to hide like on her thighs or higher up but occasionally her wrists were just more convenient, now she saw her mistake.

"It's nothing," she responded quietly.

He took her hand back in his and said, "I know what it means to you…I'm not going to take it away from you." Lindsay looked up at him confused by what he was saying.

He saw her confusion and decided to explain. "My sister Giovanna used to cut. She got help and later was able to explain to me why she did it and what it meant to her." He stopped, looking for a reaction.

"I didn't know you had a sister," she commented.

He realized Lindsay wasn't ready to talk about it so he answered her comment. "Yea, she lives in California with my mother." When that got a look he continued, "My family lived on Staten Island until I was about seven; my sister was fourteen and my brother Louie was sixteen. My parents decided to get a divorce and my mom wanted to move to LA where she had family so my sister went with her. Louie and I stayed with my dad in New York. My dad wanted to move closer to his family so we moved to Brooklyn where we've been ever since. I was actually held back a year of school because of confusion with my records."

"Do you see your mom and sister much," Lindsay asked.

"Sometimes I go out there and sometimes my sister comes here but not too often. We talk on the phone plenty though," he explained.

"What about your brother," she asked.

Lindsay could see Danny's expression change from light to very dark. She wasn't sure if he was going to answer her but he did. "Louie got involved with the Tanglewood Boys, a gang of boys who get into a lot of trouble. We haven't seen much of him in a few years," he explained.

After a few minutes in silence Danny asked, "Were you born and raised here?"

Lindsay brought her head up and looked over at him with a smile. She liked thinking about where she used to live; that's where she left her happiness. "I was born in Montana," she told him.

"Montana," he said surprised. "You're a country girl" he stated with a big grin which she returned with a smile.

"Yup, that's me. I lived there until I was about eight years old. We moved here after my dad invented something really important for farming and made a lot of money. Everything changed when we came here. All of a sudden my dad wanted to go back to school to finish his degree in law. My mom was a nurse back in Montana but when she came here she decided to become a doctor and go into a private practice with a few other people. Soon, all they wanted from me was good grades, good grades and more good grades." Lindsay let out a sigh.

"What was Montana like," Danny asked.

"Big open fields, beautiful mountains and nothing but sky," Lindsay said dreamily. "I used to help my dad out with the cows and the horses. My favorite thing when I was younger was when my dad would lift me high above his head in the wheat fields." Coming back to reality, the dreamy tone gone, she said, "but like I said, all that's changed."

Danny let there be silence for a little while before he took her wrist and said, "Tell me about this."

Lindsay sighed, if she told him, it wasn't going to be hers anymore. 'Does that matter anymore,' she asked herself; she had Danny now, did she need the cutting?

She took a deep breath and then began. "It started when I was ten I think. I had gotten an eighty on a test and I started to freak about what my parents would say. I was making a snack after school and I accidentally cut myself with a knife but instead of panic…I don't know, somehow, it made me feel better. After that, whenever I would get stressed or panic, I would cut," she shrugged.

"You're parents haven't suspected," he asked.

"No," she replied as she shook her head.

He put an arm around her and pulled her closer to him. "You can talk to me Lindsay, you know that right," he told her. He felt her nod and then he said, "Whenever you feel like it, for whatever reason, call me and I'll listen." He thought he felt her smile.

They sat there a little longer and then Danny moved to get up. "Come on Montana girl, we better get my bike before Dominick gets in trouble." Danny told Lindsay.

He helped her up, then walked back to the hotel and met with Dominick who went and got Danny's bike.

When Dominick came back Danny ran into the hotel to go to the bathroom. While he was gone Dominick and Lindsay chatted. "So, were you born here or somewhere else," Dominick asked. When Lindsay gave him a questioning look he smiled and said "you don't have the New York private school attitude."

Lindsay let out a laugh, "I was born in Montana."

"Ah, a country gal," Dominick said. "New York City can be a scary place for a country girl," he stated.

"Nah, I know how to rope and hog tie pigs so I think I can manage," she replied seriously.

Dominick looked shocked and then let out a laugh. "You're good," he gave her a little push on the shoulder and she laughed too. Just then Danny came back. Dominick walked to meet him and give him the keys to his bike. "She's cute Danny, kind of spunky. I like her," Dominick whispered.

Danny took his keys, smiled, gave his cousin a slap on the back and walked over to Lindsay. "Time to go Montana," he told her. She smiled as she heard him call her that.

"Do we have to go back right away," Lindsay asked pleadingly.

"Nope," he replied with a smile as they both got on the bike. He took her downtown this time and then back up to the school. She picked up her bag and before she left, Danny wrote his cell number on a piece of paper and then gave it to her.

Reluctantly Lindsay went home.

* * *

A/N: The laws for driving a motorcycle in NY are too confusing for me to understand so let's just pretend that Danny has his license and that it's ok for him to be driving one.

Also, I'm not very good with the whole time thing so I believe it should be about November in the story right now. Also, Danny and Lindsay have known each other about 3 weeks when this chapter takes place.


	8. She Felt Like Nothing Could Touch Her

**A/N: This is a some what short chapter. I don't know how I feel about it, I think it might be somewhat unnecessary but maybe not.**

Lindsay walked into her house with a smile still on her lips from the afternoon's events. She felt like nothing could touch her at this moment but then she saw her mother sitting in the living room looking pissed. Her mother wasn't usually home this early so Lindsay knew this wasn't good.

"Where were you," her mother asked.

"I was out with a friend," Lindsay replied.

"You could have called. I had Jacob here; he had a cancellation and came here so you could have your session with him today. I took off work early today to meet him here expecting to find you home from school but when I got home the house was empty and you weren't picking up you phone," she said angrily.

When Lindsay didn't say anything her mother continued. "You know how important your preparation for the SAT's is," she chastised. Jacob was Lindsay's private SAT tutor who came once a week to help Lindsay study.

"I'm sorry mom, I didn't know," Lindsay replied softly knowing that this rant wouldn't end for a while.

"God, I was so embarrassed. He was nice enough to come here and I had to apologize for wasting his time. Any number of people would love to have him as a tutor for their daughter and you have him and you waste his time," she ranted.

"I'm sorry mom," she tried again to end it.

"That's all good and well but that doesn't give him back the time he wasted here. He could have gone to any number of other clients who would have been just as eager to get an extra session out of him and he came to us. I had to pay him for the time he was here on top of it all," she continued.

"I'll make it up to you mom," Lindsay whispered.

"You'll make it up to me? What about him," her mother reprimanded.

When Lindsay could only look down and shrug her mother said, "Ok, you'll come into my office this weekend and do some filing, I think that would be fair. What you should really do is call Jacob up and apologize for wasting his time too," she finally finished her tirade and let Lindsay go up to her room with the promise that she would study some words and call Jacob the next day.

She was starting to feel that sensation again, the one that usually ended with a razor blade and an open wound. She couldn't believe her mood went from being light and happy to frustrated and angry in such a short time.

When Lindsay got up to her room she paced a little, she wanted to see if she could be strong for Danny and stop herself but the more she thought about what had just happened the more she wanted that release that only came from one thing.

She kept pacing, her breathes becoming shorter, tears welling up in her eyes and a lump rising in her throat as she began to get that panicky feeling.

She picked up her cell phone and then put it back down and then picked it up again. She took out the paper she had with Danny's number on it and put his number in her address book and then closed the phone. She opened it again and scrolled to his number and pressed send but quickly closed the phone. She took a deep breath as tears began to fall and pressed send again. This time she let it ring.

After the second ring she got scared but before she could hang-up he picked up.

"Hello," he questioned.

"Danny," she asked.

"Lindsay," he said back. The lump in her throat began to disappear and her breathing began to calm just by hearing his voice.

"Yea," she said shakily. "I want to cut," she stated simply.

"Ok, tell me what you're thinking," he replied calmly. He had had calls like this from his sister before so he was glad to be able to help Lindsay too.

Lindsay told him all about what had happened when she got home which surprisingly made her feel better, less stressed; the panic started to melt away.

"How are you feeling now," he asked after she had finished her story.

"Better," she breathed. "Thank you Danny…"

"For what," he asked nonchalantly.

"For listening," Lindsay stated.

"Not a problem Montana, anything to help. Do you want me to stay on the line longer," he questioned genuinely.

"No, I'm ok now," she replied again feeling lighter.

"Promise," Danny questioned.

Lindsay smiled, "promise."

They both hung up.

Lindsay got changed and ready for bed, studied a little and then went to sleep feeling ever so slightly like a weigh had been lifted off her shoulders.

* * *

My thought for putting this in was to not only show that Lindsay's parents control her life but that being able to talk to someone helped Lindsay release some of the emotions she was feeling.


	9. A Calming Breath

**A/N: Thank you, thank you for the reviews, I really appreciate them. This chapter has some more family stuff. **

**Just a quick reminder, all spelling, grammar and tense mistakes are my own.**

The next week went by pretty fast. Things had started to settle down when it came to name calling and pushing; most people had other things on their mind like exams.

While most people still wouldn't talk to Lindsay, that was fine by her, she at least had Danny however things still weren't back to normal for Lindsay. Even though things had settled down with the name calling, the reminder was still there everyday walking past her locker, eyeing her in the dining hall, always present. Jason still haunted her.

Lindsay would still never let herself be alone with Mr. Mason. She made sure to keep close to Danny in that class because she knew he wouldn't say anything with Danny around.

On Saturday of that weekend, while Lindsay was studying, her cell phone rang.

"Hello," she answered not looking at the caller ID.

"Lindsay," a male's voice asked.

"Danny," she asked back in recognition.

"Hey, how are you," he made small talk.

"I'm good, just studying. How about you," she chatted back.

"I'm good. I was wondering…" he paused, "If you'd like to come over for dinner tomorrow night, my dad is cooking his famous chicken parmesan. I can come pick you up if that helps?"

She smiled to herself and responded, "I'd love to, I have to ask my parents first, can you stay on the line," she asked.

When Danny responded that he would, she walked down to the living room where her parents were sitting.

"Mom, dad," she said to get their attention. When they looked back up at her she continued. "I was wondering if I could go to a friend's house tomorrow for dinner," she asked.

They looked at each other for a moment and then her mother spoke. "What friend, she questioned.

"His name is Danny, he…" she was cut off by her father, "Danny? We don't know any Danny's."

"He just transferred to this school…" her dad cut her off again, "I don't know how I feel about this."

"Dad, I've known him for a while, his dad invited me over," she pleaded.

"Where does he live," her father asked.

"Brooklyn," Lindsay replied nervously.

"Brooklyn!? And he goes to school with you," Lindsay's mother asked disbelievingly.

"Yes," Lindsay replied firmly. "His father works there," she added but she didn't say what Joey did.

"I don't know if I want you going all the way to Brooklyn," her father said.

"Danny's going to come pick me up," Lindsay was practically begging now.

It was her mom's turn to talk again, "It's a school night honey, I don't know if I want you out late."

Lindsay tried to take a calming breath; she was digging her nails into the palms of her hands to stop the panic from rising. "I won't be out late, and I'll come back by ten. I've already finished my homework and studying…Please," she pleaded.

There was a long silence while both her mother and father looked at one another and than at Lindsay who was holding her breath. Finally her father spoke up. "Fine, but I want you back by 9:30pm," he conceded.

Lindsay let out her breath and smiled. She thanked them and went back to her room where she put the phone back to her ear. Danny had heard the whole conversation so when she came back on and told him she could go he told her he promised to have her back by 9:30. He told her he'd be by to get her by 5:00 the next day and after a little more small talk, they ended the conversation.

The next day after Lindsay got back from her fathers office she showered and contemplated what to wear. She decided on jeans and pink tee with a black fall jacket. When she heard the door bell at five she tried to get to it first but her father beat her too it. He opened the door and there was Danny.

Danny was the first one to talk, "Hi Mr. Monroe, I'm Danny Messer." He put out his hand.

Lindsay's dad took it and shook it while saying, "Nice to meet you Danny." He motioned for Danny to come in which he did.

Lindsay was watching hidden from the stairs, she knew her parents were going to start judging as soon as Danny walked in.

Danny stood looking around at his surroundings. Lindsay place was big, two levels and plenty of room. Mrs. Monroe soon walked over. "Hello," she said.

"Hello Mrs. Monroe," Danny replied as they shook hands. "You have a beautiful house," he commented.

"Thank you," Lindsay mom said. Lindsay saw that they seemed to be sizing Danny up, probably coming up with probing questions to ask him so she decided to come down. She walked over to them and said, "Hey Danny," with a smile.

"Hey," he replied.

"I'm ready," Lindsay said.

Danny nodded and then said to Lindsay's parents, "It was nice meeting you both." He shook both of their hands again; Lindsay said 'good-bye' and then followed Danny out.

They walked to his bike, got on and he drove them back to his place. Lindsay had told him to park a little down the block because she knew her parents wouldn't like that he had a motorcycle.

He led her in and took her jacket to hang up. Lindsay instantly smelled Joey's cooking and took the smell in with a deep breath. She looked around, his place was a two bedroom, small apartment but it was cozy and she liked it. Danny led Lindsay to the kitchen where Joey was cooking.

When he heard them enter he turned and smiled at Lindsay saying, "Hello Lindsay, I'm so glad you could make it."

She returned the smile and said, "Me too, everything smells great."

"Come on," Danny said, "We can make the sauce." They washed their hands and he showed her what to do.

Lindsay was having a lot of fun helping out; she never got to help out at home. At home she felt like she was suffocating, always walking on eggshells but here…she could breathe again, it was calming.

Just when she was thinking about this she heard the front door open then close. Soon Dominick walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Uncle Joey, smells good," Dominick said.

"Hello Dom," Joey replied.

"What are you doing here," Danny asked jokingly.

"Hey, Uncle Joe makes his famous chicken parm, I ain't gonna miss it for the world," Dominick replied as he dipped his finger into the sauce and then put it in his mouth.

Danny playfully hit him over the head and said, "Hey man, get outta here."

Dominick looked over at Lindsay and put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Hey, Montana girl."

"Montana girl," Joey asked.

"Yea Uncle Joey, didn't you know she's from Montana," Dominick said as he took his arm back.

Joey looked a Lindsay and said, "Ah, a country girl huh." He smiled and went back to the chicken.

Dominick walked over to Joey and patted him on the back and then said, "Watch it Joey, she knows how to rope and hog tie pigs." Joey let out a laugh.

The rest of the night went well, Lindsay couldn't believe how light and fun their conversations and dinners were, nothing like her house.

As promised, Danny got Lindsay home by 9:30 and made sure to walk her to the door and say goodnight to her parents. Lindsay smiled and waved happily as Danny walked away.

As Lindsay walked up to her room she heard her mom say, "He seems like a very nice young man." Lindsay couldn't help but smile at the comment.

* * *

Just a quick thanks to all those that have stayed with me! :-D Please review.


	10. What Does It Look Like I'm Doing

**A/N: Ok, it's going to get dark again. It might seem somewhat repetitive but I felt like it was coming…**

**Again, thanks for all the reviews, I really like getting them.  
**

**Warning: Mentions of rape**

One Friday a few weeks later, Lindsay hadn't seen Danny all day. She didn't know where he was so she tried to call him at lunch but he didn't answer. She tried him again after school but again there was no answer.

Since Danny had started at this school he had only been absent once and he had sent Lindsay a text to let her know he wouldn't be in but she hadn't gotten anything today.

The halls were empty and she was getting ready to leave when Mr. Mason walked up to her.

"Hi Lindsay," he said.

"Hi," she replied with her head down. She didn't really want to talk to him right now.

"Could you follow me to my office, I found you're paper that I didn't have in class earlier today," he explained.

"Ok," she replied and followed him because he indeed couldn't find her paper in class earlier. She should have known what was going on when he closed and locked the door behind her but she was to inside her head thinking about Danny to notice.

"I've missed you," Mr. Mason said.

"Huh," Lindsay questioned not really paying attention. When she finally looked up she saw him coming closer to her. He kissed her which she tried to pull back from but he just held her and kissed her with more ferocity.

When he moved to her neck she asked, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing," he responded.

She tried to push him off her but he was too strong. He pushed her to the couch and hurriedly started stripping both of them of their clothes. She tried to protest but he kept her down. He didn't bother with getting their tops off so once he had their pants and underwear off he pushed into her. Lindsay tried to scream but he just covered her mouth.

When his hand slipped away from her mouth she pleaded, "Stop, please stop," but it was no use. She gave up fighting and just waited until it was over. When it was, she quietly got dressed and walked out feeling numb.

When she made it to the street she ran home and went straight to her room. She ripped off the clothes she had on and threw them in a garbage bag and hid them in the back of her closet. She jumped into the shower and made the water almost scalding.

Lindsay scrubbed until her skin was raw and then turned off the water. She could feel the panic and the pressure so she took out her blade and made one cut, than another, than another. In the end she had eight new cuts; she had never done more that two at once.

Lindsay decided to take another shower but she still felt dirty so she gave up and got into her pajamas.

Lindsay got into bed and didn't go down for dinner. She slept late the next day telling her mom she didn't feel well when she knocked. Both of her parents had to be at their offices on Saturday so she was left alone.

When Lindsay finally got up she realized that Mr. Mason hadn't used a condom and began to panic. 'What if he gets me pregnant,' she thought. She felt more than panic rising and had to run to the bathroom so she could throw up.

Lindsay got dressed in sweats and a t-shirt and threw on a jacket. She didn't brush her hair, she just threw it up into a ponytail; she didn't really care what she looked like at this point.

She looked up a clinic near by on the internet. She walked over with her head down, hands in her pockets and her mind wandering. She wasn't really paying attention to where she was going and wound up accidentally walking into a few people but she didn't bother to apologize. It was New York after all so no one would know the difference.

When she got to the clinic she lied and told them that her and her boyfriend had forgotten to use a condom and she feared she may get pregnant. She didn't want to tell them the truth; she didn't want to tell anyone the truth. They gave her the morning after pill and then she was on her way back home.

When she got home she realized that she had left her cell phone there and when she picked it up she realized she had a new voicemail.

Lindsay dialed her voicemail and listened as Danny's voice came on, "Hey Montana it's me. I'm in LA visiting my sister. I'm sorry I didn't call earlier, my phone broke and I just got a new one. I'll be back in class on Monday so I'll see you then. Bye." She closed her phone and threw it across the room.

Lindsay stayed in bed the rest of the day Saturday and only ate when her mother told her too which Lindsay wound up throwing up. Again on Sunday she spent most of the day in bed sleeping or just doing nothing. Her mother checked on her once or twice and took her temperature thinking Lindsay might have a stomach bug.

When Lindsay's dad called Lindsay down for dinner Lindsay didn't answer. He went up to check on her and saw that she had the lights off. He made her come down for dinner but she ate very little and then excused her self so she would crawl back into bed and go back to sleep.

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Please review. The next chapter is going to be dark too but it will lighten up after that.


	11. Go Away

**A/N: Another dark chapter… Lindsay needed to hit rock bottom before she could work her way back up and this chapter is where she hits bottom. Oh and Mr. Mason is still a creep in this chapter but he will get what's coming to him.**

**Warning: Mention of suicide attempt**

When Monday came Lindsay went to school because her parents made her. She wouldn't talk let alone look at Danny. He tried to get her to talk but she refused; she would get to class late and leave class before him. He looked for her during lunch but she disappeared.

She did her best to avoid him the next day too. Every time she saw Mr. Mason, she would get nauseous. She had to force herself not to throw up a few times and she would never look at him.

On Wednesday at the end of her Biology class while everyone was packing up, Mr. Mason gave back an exam from Monday. When Lindsay got hers and saw a B- she started to panic. Mr. Mason got close to Lindsay and whispered in her ear, "Guess you need a little help on your human biology. I can help you with that." All Lindsay wanted to do was throw up; all color had drained from her face.

Danny saw the color drain from Lindsay's face and tried to talk to her but she wouldn't have any of it.

Lindsay kept thinking that her parents were going to be pissed. She was going to be sick; she had to get out of there. She pushed past Danny and ran to the bathroom. As if the day wasn't going bad enough, she saw Jason talking to Madison as she walked out of the class room.

Seeing her distress Danny followed after her waiting outside the bathroom so he could talk to her as soon as she came out.

As soon as Lindsay got into the bathroom she emptied the contents of her stomach. She was happy that no one was in there with her. She started to pace a little as the panic began to build again; her head was hurting, her stomach was turning. Everything was coming back at her, the attempted rape by Jason, the actual rape by Mr. Mason, how out of control she felt when it came to her life, everything.

She took out some Advil and took first two, then another two and then another. She found her blade in her bag and took it out and dragged it across her wrist first once, than twice. First she cut on the right wrist then on the left, deeper than she'd ever cut before. She didn't care; she just wanted everything to go away.

Soon the room started to spin and Lindsay couldn't fight the darkness anymore as she closed her eyes and fell to the ground.

On the other side of the door Danny started to worry when she didn't come out after five minutes. When he heard a thump on the other side he really started to panic and ran in.

When he got in he saw Lindsay unconscious on the floor with a lot of blood around her. He ran over to her and got down on the floor and tried to shake her awake. "Lindsay," he said frantically.

"Lindsay," he pleaded.

When she wouldn't stir he pulled out his cell and called 911.

"911 what's your emergency," came the voice.

After telling them where he was he said, "My friend fainted in the woman's bathroom. She has several deep cuts on her wrist and she's unconscious."

"We'll send an ambulance over right away," responded the voice.

After he hung up a girl came into the bathroom and was shocked to see him in the bathroom. She was even more shocked to see Lindsay on the floor with blood around her. Danny looked directly at the girl and yelled, "Go get the nurse!"

The girl turned right around and ran to get the nurse who came as fast as she could.

When the nurse came she gave Danny some bandages and told him to put it around Lindsay's wrist and apply pressure.

The paramedics came within a few minutes and hooked Lindsay up to IV's. They got worried when they saw an empty bottle of Advil so they quickly loaded her up in the ambulance and drove away leaving Danny covered in Lindsay's blood.

Danny went to the men's bathroom, washed off his hands and then went to his dad's office. When Joey saw him he was shocked, "Danny, what happened," he asked.

"Lindsay," was all Danny could say before he sat down on the couch.

Joey's face went from confusion to realization. "Oh no, I was just called up to clean up the woman's bathroom. Is she ok," he asked.

Danny just shrugged in response. "She took some pills and cut her wrists…bad," he explained sadly.

He looked at his son feeling bad for him and then said, "I have an extra shirt and pants in my locker, why don't you change and go to the hospital."

Danny nodded and did just that.

By the time he got to the hospital the doctors had pumped Lindsay stomach and stitched and bandaged up her wrists. She was asleep in her room and her parents were sitting in there with her. When they saw Danny Mr. Monroe came out to meet him.

"How is she," he asked.

"She's good, she's sleeping," he responded. Then the strangest thing happened, he heard Mr. Monroe let out a sob. "What would make her do this," he questioned as a tear fell. This was a side to Mr. Monroe Danny had never seen before.

Danny couldn't help it but he had tears in his eyes too. Just then Mrs. Monroe came out and said that she needed some coffee. Danny told them both to go, that he'd sit in the room with Lindsay until they got back.

Before they left, Mrs. Monroe went over to Danny and just gave him a hug which after a second's confusion, he returned.

While he was sitting with her she began to stir and eventually woke up. When he saw she was up he went over to her. "Lindsay," he said.

When she saw it was Danny she turned away from him and said, "Go away."

"Lindsay," he softly questioned again.

"Go away," she said more forcefully. "I don't want to talk to you!"

Danny did the only thing he thought he could do, he got up and left. As he walked away he saw her parents coming back. When they gave him a questioning look he told them she was awake and had told him to leave.

In the room, once Danny had left, Lindsay felt tears fall.

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Please Review.


	12. You Need Help

**A/N: And so begins Lindsay's journey back up. Oh, and The Box is on tonight!**

**Thanks to all those who have been reviewing, I really appreciate it, keep them coming.  
**

For the remainder of the week Danny tried to call Lindsay but each time he only got her voicemail so he left several messages.

For Lindsay, she was released from the hospital with her parents promise to the doctors that they would find her help. They decided Lindsay was to stay home to take a break and recover. Lindsay for the most part slept; she didn't really feel like doing much else.

Each time her cell phone rang she knew it was Danny again and each time she ignored it. She didn't really know why she was ignoring him but she just didn't want to talk to him. In a way she felt betrayed by him because he wasn't there when she needed him.

The following week on Monday morning Lindsay's parents decided to tell Lindsay what they had decided to do. "Your father and I decided that we want you to go to a treatment center," he mother stated.

"I don't need treatment," Lindsay spat.

"Honey, it's what's best. The place we picked out even has an SAT program so you won't fall behind and they also offer some courses," her mother tried to coax.

Lindsay let out a frustrated sigh and said, "I'm not going!" She got up and ran out of their house. Her parents tried to stop her but she kept running.

At first they thought she just needed some air, that she'd be back in no time but once it started to get dark they began to worry. They looked around a little but couldn't find her. She had left her cell phone so they went through it and found Danny's number.

"Hello," Danny answered.

"Danny? It's Blake Monroe, Lindsay's father," he informed.

"Yea," he questioned curiously.

"It's Lindsay, we can't find her. She ran out this morning after we told her we were putting her in a treatment center. We thought she just needed some air but she hasn't come back yet. We were hoping…maybe…she came to you or you knew where she was," he pleaded.

Danny heard the desperation in his voice and thought about it a moment. "She's not here but I might no where she is," he told him.

"Could…could you go look for her," he asked nervously. "I don't think she wants to see me or her mother right now."

"Ok," he agreed and after saying good-bye Danny told his father where he was going, hopped on his Harley and headed for Manhattan.

The one place he thought to look was Central Park, he only hoped that she was near where he took her the first time she went on his bike.

He was lucky Dominick was on that night so he dropped off his bike with him and then started through the park. He only had to walk a few minutes before he saw her sitting on a bench. He walked over to her and asked, "How long have you been sitting here?"

"Go away," she said icily.

"No, Lindsay, talk to me," he pleaded.

She stood up, said, "I don't want to talk to you," and tried to walk away.

He took hold of her hand and pulled her into his arms. She tried to push away saying "Let go of me Danny, I want to be alone."

His only reply was to hold her tighter and say quietly, "No."

She soon stopped fighting and began sobbing. All Danny could do was hug her and beg, "Please tell me what's wrong, why won't you talk to me."

Her sobs soon turned to anger again as she tried to push away again yelling, "Because you left me! You left and didn't tell me and I couldn't…he forced me…" she couldn't get it out as the sobs came back with a vengeance.

He pulled her back so he could see her face and asked, "Who's he, what did he do?"

"Mr. Mason," she chocked out, "he…" she couldn't get it out.

"Lindsay…he what," Danny tried to coax, afraid of what the answer would be.

"He raped me," she finally yelled out, "he raped me," she said again more softly as Danny brought her back into his arms. She was sobbing again and Danny felt it with every heave of her body. He had tears falling too and with one arm around her body, the other stroking her hair he said, "I'm so sorry."

When Lindsay calmed down a little Danny led her over to a bench and they both sat down, Danny with his arm around Lindsay.

"They want me to go to a treatment center," Lindsay finally said.

"I know," Danny returned, "your dad told me."

"My mom said that I can take classes there, that I can still study for the SAT's," she explained bitterly. "I don't want to study! I'm so sick of them running my life," she said angrily.

"So tell them," he stated simply.

"What," she asked confused as she pulled back to look at him.

"Tell them you don't want to go there, you don't want to study for the SAT's all the time," he said. "Tell them how you feel, or how are they supposed to know" he said more firmly.

"I can't," she said defeated.

"Why," he asked frustrated. When she didn't answer him, he kissed her on the lips and after her initial shock, she kissed him back. It was an emotional kiss and even though it was probably the wrong time to kiss her, Danny couldn't help it. When they stopped, they leaned their foreheads together, "I care about you so much Lindsay. I want you to get better…you need help," Danny pleaded.

It wasn't the right time to tell Lindsay that he was falling in love with her so Danny kept his mouth shut but there was no denying it. After sitting there for a few minutes in silence, Lindsay took a deep breath and said, "Ok…I'll tell them. I'll get help."

Lindsay wanted to get better; she wanted to stop feeling like she had a weight on her shoulders all the time. She wanted to get better for Danny because she was falling in love with him but mostly she wanted to get better for herself; so she could be happy again.

After a little longer in the park, Danny brought Lindsay home where she told her parents what had happened with Mr. Mason and that she couldn't stand the pressure they put on her anymore. She told them about all the cutting and about Steve's party all with Danny sitting beside her for support.

Together they came up with a plan for Lindsay to go to a treatment center back in Montana for a month and then continue with an outpatient program when she got home. They agreed that she would take courses to keep up with her school year but not SAT classes.

On the day Lindsay was due to leave, Danny and Lindsay met in the park. "I'll miss you," Lindsay choked out between sobs.

Danny pulled her into a hug and said, "I'll miss you too, but I'll be waiting for you when you come back."

They kissed and walked hand in hand back to his bike for one last ride back to her place. They decided to say good-bye at her place because if he came to the airport she wasn't sure she would be able to get on the plane.

They shared one last hug before Lindsay got in the car and her parents brought her to the airport.

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Please Review.


	13. You Have No Right

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating today! And happy post episode 5x09 day to all that have seen it. Thanks again and again and again to all those who reviewed, I really appreciate it. Keep them coming. ;)**

**This is a Danny heavy chapter. Oh and I don't really know school policies so I made them up.**

Before Lindsay went away for treatment, they had decided that they would go after Mr. Mason since Lindsay had kept the clothes from that night but they probably wouldn't be able to go after Jason.

A partner from the law firm where Lindsay's dad worked agreed to take their case and bring up charges on Mr. Mason for rape.

It took a week to get the case together and file the charges which was all done while Lindsay was away. For that week that it took to get everything together, Mr. Mason was still teaching and Danny still had to see him everyday.

On Monday of that week Danny decided to skip Biology but he had to go on Tuesday because he had an exam. On Wednesday he sat through it but had to try really hard to keep his anger under control. On Thursday he decided to skip that class again but on Friday he went.

At the end of class as everyone was leaving Mr. Mason went over to Danny as he was walking out and said, "Danny," to get his attention. When Danny looked up at him with disgust in his eyes Mr. Mason asked "how is Lindsay? I heard about what happened in the bathroom."

The way Mr. Mason said it was so nonchalantly, like nothing happened, that Danny just lost it. He curled his fingers into a fist and punched Mr. Mason right in the face. The shock caused Mr. Mason to take a few steps back.

"What the hell," Mr. Mason said as he spit out some blood.

"You have no right to ask about her," Danny yelled as he stood in the doorway to the class. People in the halls stopped and stared.

"What are you talking about," Mr. Mason asked innocently as he got his footing and got in Danny's face.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Danny growled as he got closer to Mr. Mason.

"No, I don't," Mr. Mason returned as he gave Danny a little push.

Danny pushed him back harder causing Mr. Mason to lose his footing and fall back onto the floor in the class room.

Just then the Principal Mrs. Horowitz came with security and asked what was going on. At this point Mr. Mason was getting up and Danny still had his hands in fists at his sides.

Mr. Mason smirked at Danny, walked past him into the hall and then looked at the Principal and said, "Nothing, just a little disagreement."

After looking back and forth between the two of them, the Principal decided to leave it alone and she and security started to walk away.

Mr. Mason leaned close to a still angry Danny and hissed, "She liked it!" At that, Danny snapped and lost all control, he threw punch after punch at Mr. Mason and when Mr. Mason fell to the floor, Danny gave him a good kick.

Hearing all the commotion coming from behind her, Mrs. Horowitz turned around to see Danny beating up Mr. Mason. She ran back over with the security guards on her heels and instructed them to restrain Danny just as he was about to give Mr. Mason another kick.

With all the commotion in the halls, Danny's dad had heard that something was going on and happened to be near by so he went to take a look only to be surprised that it was his son causing the crowd.

With his arms being restrained by the security guards Danny was fighting to get free. When he couldn't physical assault Mr. Mason he started verbally accusing him. "You raped her you bastard," he yelled. "You're a sick bastard, you deserve to rot in hell," he continued as the security guards tried to move him in the direction of the Principals office.

By now a large crowd had surrounded the scene and Danny's dad was trying to fight his way towards his son. When he got there Danny stopped struggling and let his head fall. When one of the security guards tried to get Joey to back up he told them that Danny was his son. Joey then looked at Danny and asked, "who Danny? Who did he rape?"

"Lindsay," he responded as the anger came back and he tried to get back over to Mr. Mason whose injuries where now being tended to by the nurse. He tried to break free of the security guards grasp but they just held on tighter and even Joey put his hand on Danny's chest to control him.

"Danny, stop," his father demanded with a firm voice. Danny complied and visibly deflated.

Mrs. Horowitz took this time to talk to Danny and say "You're going to have to go to my office so we can talk about what's going to happen now."

Danny nodded and began to follow when from down the hall he saw Lindsay's lawyer followed but two NYPD officers. Mrs. Horowitz looked confused and walked to meet the three new faces and said, "Can I help you?"

"Are you Mrs. Horowitz," the lawyer asked.

"Yes," Mrs. Horowitz affirmed.

"My name is Isabel Greenspan," she stuck out her hand which Mrs. Horowitz shook. "I'm an attorney and I'm looking for a Mr. Matthew Mason," she continued.

When Mrs. Horowitz looked back to where Mr. Mason was standing with the nurse, Isabel walked over to him with the two officers in tow.

"Are you Matthew Mason," she asked him. When he nodded in the affirmative she continued, "I have a warrant for your arrest. You are being charged with the rape of Miss. Lindsay Monroe."

One officer moved behind Mr. Mason and began to cuff him. He tried to put up a fight and yelled, "Get off me," but the other officer was able to help restrain him.

Isabel read him his rights, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…" the officers along with Isabel were leading Mr. Mason towards the exit followed by the eyes of the large crowd that had gathered.

"You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning…" Isabel kept going but was interrupted by Mrs. Horowitz asking, "Where are you taking him?"

Isabel looked at Mrs. Horowitz and gave her a business card. "If you have any questions you can contact someone at this number," she explained and kept walking with Mr. Mason and the officers.

As she got further away Danny could still hear her saying, "If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"

Everyone was mumbling to each other and looking around in confusion until Mrs. Horowitz told everyone to get back to their classes. "The day will continue as usual, now please clear the halls," she said. She knew she would have to make an announcement or tell the teachers what to tell the students which she wasn't looking forward to.

Back to the task at hand, when Mrs. Horowitz looked at Danny who was still being restrained by the security guards she said, "Follow me, we still need to discuss your situation." She motioned to the security guards that they didn't have to retrain Danny so they just followed along side him.

Joey followed behind all of them as they went to Mrs. Horowitz's office.

Once they got to her office, the security guards left and both Danny and Joey took a seat expecting the worst. They were surprised when she said softly, "I understand why you did what you did." Both of the Messer's looked back at her dumbfounded.

When Mrs. Horowitz saw their expressions she smiled and said, "I have a daughter a little younger than you and I would do the same if any man ever touched her." She let that sink in before adding, "I heard what he whispered." When that comment got a confused look from Danny she clarified quoting Mr. Mason, "She liked it."

Those words had made Mrs. Horowitz want to slap the man but she couldn't, not with students watching and no proof behind Danny's accusations at the time.

Hearing those words again brought anger back to Danny's eyes but Mrs. Horowitz continued softly, "It also explains the event that happened in the bathroom." She was referring to Lindsay's attempted suicide. "It must have been hard for her to see him everyday," she said sympathetically.

Danny and Joey both agreed silently. Mrs. Horowitz went on, "There has to be repercussions, you assaulted a school employee after all." She paused before adding, "Even if he was a scumbag," which got smirks all around.

More seriously Mrs. Horowitz explained, "Whether or not Mr. Mason decides to press charges is up to him… but your academics are good, you have no prior complaints, I see no reason to expel you but I'm afraid I will have to suspend you for a week."

Both Danny and his father let out a breath. "Just try to stay out of trouble," she said as a way of dismissing them.

Both men got up to leave but once they reached the door Danny turned around, looked at Mrs. Horowitz and said with sincerity, "thank you."

Mrs. Horowitz smiled and said, "Just help her get better."

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Please, please, please review. :-D


	14. On The Road To Recovery

**A/N: I am not a lawyer so I don't really know the law too well so everything is sort of made up. I also don't know how a treatment center works so that part is made up too.**

In the weeks that followed, Danny was able to get his work from his teachers for the week that he was suspended. After leaving the Principals office that day Danny explained to his father everything that had happened to Lindsay.

Danny and Joey decided to pay a visit to the Monroe family to get to know them better. They got along pretty well and Joey invited them back to their place for dinner one night which they accepted and enjoyed very much.

The Messer's and Monroe's continued to see each other as the weeks went on, sometimes just for a meal, sometimes to discuss the case with the lawyer and other times just to talk.

Danny had wanted to visit Lindsay in Montana but the week he was suspended she wasn't allowed visitors since it was her first week there.

For the time being, Mr. Mason was in a jail cell awaiting trial. He was considered a flight risk because he was a single man with no familial ties in the area and a valid passport. The trial date was set for when Lindsay got back from the treatment center which was closely approaching.

Mr. Mason had decided to bring up assault charges against Danny which meant that Danny had to find a lawyer but that was taken care of by Mr. Monroe. They were able to push back his court date for the assault charges until after the rape trial.

On a Friday, a month after Lindsay went into treatment she was coming off the plane from Montana. Lindsay's parents, Danny, and Joey were all waiting for her at baggage claim.

Danny couldn't help but think how wonderful she looked as he saw her come through the doors. After hugging everyone else hello she gave Danny a very passionate kiss which he gladly returned with slight embarrassment when he realized both her parents and his father were watching them.

In treatment Lindsay mostly talked about her feelings towards everything that had been going on. She had private sessions with the therapist and group sessions with people in similar situations. Lindsay parents even came out for a weekend for a family session and agreed to see someone back in New York so they could continue to help Lindsay when she came home.

Lindsay was able to learn to deal with stress by talking instead of cutting and together with her doctor and her parents, was able to find a therapist in New York that she could continue to go to as an outpatient.

Lindsay wasn't fixed, she knew that; she knew there would always be a struggle to talk about her feelings and even the urge to cut but she was on the road to recovery.

After they left the airport, everyone went back to Danny and Joey's place where Joey cooked a special pasta dish for lunch. They all talked and even laughed a little but didn't bring up the case, it was Lindsay's first day back and they didn't want her to have to worry about it yet.

After everyone but Lindsay went home, Danny held out his hand for Lindsay and said, "Follow me," as he led Lindsay outside to his bike so they could just ride.

Lindsay followed Danny to his bike, she would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked because when she followed him she felt good about herself; good things happened with him. They rode around for a little while and then Danny dropped Lindsay home and then went home too.

The following Monday at noon was the date that was set for the trial which meant that Lindsay would have to miss more school. Her teachers said they would send her notes from their classes as well and any homework. Before any of that was necessary however, Isabel got a call from Mr. Mason's defense attorney Gabe McCoy early Monday morning. He asked to meet with her to talk so she complied and met with him at 7:30am at a coffee shop.

"What's this about," Isabel asked irritated at having been woken up early.

"My client wants to know if there is a chance of a plea bargain," Gabe asked.

"What did you have in mind," Isabel asked.

"No jail time. My client knows what they like to do to rapists in jail," he explained.

"How about he pleads guilty to rape, gets ten years probation, he joins the sex offender registry, loses his teaching license, drops the assault charges against Mr. Messer and doesn't come within 1000 feet of Miss. Monroe," Isabel said.

Sunday night Isabel had told the Monroe's that there was a possibility that Mr. Mason would be looking to plead out so together they came up with terms that would satisfy them.

Lindsay didn't really want to testify anyway so if he decided to plead out that was fine by her. Her dad came up with most of the terms of the agreement but Lindsay demanded that the part about dropping the assault charges against Danny be put in which Danny appreciated.

"I'll have to talk it over with my client and get back to you," Gabe said as he gathered his things to leave.

Isabel went over to the Monroe's after the meeting to discuss what happened. She waited there for Gabe's phone call which came about an hour later.

"Hello," Isabel said as she picked up her phone.

"How about five years probation, he'll join the registry, give up his license, drop the assault charges and do you one better, he'll leave the state," Gabe negotiated.

Isabel took a minute to explain it to the Monroe's who gave a satisfied nod. She went back to the phone and said, "You have yourself a deal."

Gabe and Isabel still had to go to court at noon to finalize the deal before a judge which didn't take too long. Isabel called the Monroe's when it was done to let them know.

Lindsay sent Danny a text message with the results. He was in school when he got it but as soon as school was over he went straight to Lindsay house. He knocked on the door and Mr. Monroe opened it. They shook hands and Danny stepped in so Mr. Monroe could close the door.

"Lindsay, it's for you," Mr. Monroe called.

Lindsay came down from her room and ran to Danny and hugged him tightly. She almost knocked him off his feet but he held strong, hugged her back and placed a kiss on the top of her head. Her dad smiled and walked away so they could be alone.

Lindsay had never felt so safe.

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A/N: Sorry this is kind of short and rushed. I didn't really want to have to deal with a whole trial so I took the easy way out with the plea bargain. Again, I don't really know how things would really go so everything is made up. I'm sure Mr. Mason would probably have been able to post bail and I really don't know if his punishment is too much or not enough. Sorry for all of that.


	15. She Wasn't Expecting That

**A/N: Lindsay goes back to school…and a little Danny/Lindsay fluff. :)**

**Thanks to those who have been reviewing and please keep it up. It may or may not take a while to get the next chapter up, I start work today in NJ.  
**

Tuesday came which meant that it was time for Lindsay to go back to school, not really something she was looking forward too but Danny said he'd come pick her up. It was a little too cold for his bike right now so he took a taxi over and walked with her.

When they walked in people stopped and stared. Lindsay instinctively moved closer to Danny and he protectively put an arm around her and placed a kiss on her head.

One girl, Lindsay couldn't be sure if her name was Jackie or Jessica or something like that came towards them. "Lindsay," she said shyly. Theresa was her name, Lindsay had had freshman math with her. "I just wanted to tell you how brave I think you were…to come forward like that," she said nervously.

Lindsay smiled at her warmly and said, "Thank you."

Theresa smiled back and walked away as Danny and Lindsay continued to walk to class.

For most of the day Lindsay tried to go unnoticed and for the most part no one said anything to her. For Biology, they called in a substitute for Mr. Mason until they could find a permanent replacement.

For lunch that day Lindsay and Danny decided to eat at Central Park like old times. They bought sandwiches at a deli and found a bench.

They were silent as they ate but Lindsay had a question that was nagging her. "Danny," she said.

"Yea," he asked.

"What are we," she asked. They hadn't really ever defined their relationship but she wanted to know where they stood.

"What do you mean," he asked, honestly confused.

"I mean, are we really good friends? Are we dating? Are we a couple," she clarified.

He kissed her on the lips and said, "Well, I don't know if we can call it dating." He smiled and added, "I haven't actually taken you out on a date yet…but I would like to." Now it was Lindsay turn to smile which caused Danny to kiss her again and this time she returned the kiss.

When they pulled back Danny said, "How about I take you out to dinner Friday night?"

Lindsay smiled and said, "That sounds great."

"Then I'll pick you up around 7:00pm," he stated which she agreed to with a nod and a smile that went to her eyes. When they were done with their lunch they got up and walked hand-in-hand back to school.

On Wednesday after classes were over and Danny had kissed Lindsay good-bye and left for the day, Lindsay went to the Library to do some research for a paper in her Law class.

While there, Lexie found Lindsay at a table and sat across from her. This surprised Lindsay because Lexie was Madison's best friend and Madison still didn't talk to Lindsay so what could Lexie want

.

"Can I talk to you in private," Lexie whispered.

Lindsay wasn't so sure she wanted to be alone with Lexie but she saw the desperation on Lexie's face so she agreed.

Lexie led Lindsay to a secluded, empty corner of the Library. Lexie was silent for a while and Lindsay was just about to ask her what was going on when Lexie started to talk. "How did you…What did you…"Lexie struggled to get what she wanted to say out.

"Go ahead," Lindsay encouraged sweetly.

Lexie took a deep breath, "How did you go about…you know, telling about what happened with Mr. Mason?" Lexie was clearly uncomfortable and nervous.

"What do you mean," Lindsay probed.

Lexie sank to the floor and let tears fall, "I know what happened at Steve's party."

Lindsay was shocked, she wasn't expecting that. She got on the floor next to Lexie and asked, "What do you mean? What do you know?"

"I know that you didn't seduce Jason, that he tried to rape you," she said not making eye contact with Lindsay.

Lindsay was getting confused and excited and…she wasn't really sure what she was. "How do you know," she asked.

Still not looking at Lindsay and with more tears falling Lexie explained, "Because he raped me."

Lindsay had tears in her eyes and brought Lexie into a hug. When she pulled back Lexie continued. "It was last weekend, a party at Drew Sanders house. I went into a room to find my coat and I guess Jason must have followed me in because the next thing I know he has me on the ground and he's taking off my pants." Lexie let a sob escape as she continued, "I begged him to stop! I tried to scream at one point but he put his hand over my mouth. Needless to say, I wasn't as lucky as you."

At that comment Lindsay gave her a very confused look. Lexie explained, "Madison didn't walk in on us to break things up." Now Lindsay got it, Jason had actually gone all the way with Lexie. Lindsay had never thought of herself as lucky but she could understand why Lexie thought that.

Lindsay's mind kicked into gear and she asked, "Did you save anything from that night, is there any evidence?"

A smile grew on Lexie's face. "I had my cell phone in my hand and I was able to press the speed dial for my home. The answering machine picked up and recorded most of what happened," she explained.

"Do you have the recording," Lindsay asked getting excited.

"I was so afraid my parents would hear it, I didn't want them to know," she said. Lindsay deflated thinking that meant that she had erased it but then Lexie went on. "We have an old answering machine…you know, the kind with a tape in it. I switched tapes and kept the one with the message in my room."

Lindsay's smile came back and Lexie continued to talk, "I also saved my clothes from that night; I threw them under my bed." She gave a disgusted look and added, "He didn't use a condom."

Lindsay motioned for Lexie to follow her back to her table. She wrote down the name and phone number of Isabel Greenspan on a piece of paper and handed it to Lexie. "She'll help you," Lindsay said encouragingly.

When Lexie still looked unsure Lindsay added, "I'll be there too. I'll help you."

With this reassurance Lexie smiled and said "thank you" to Lindsay.

Lindsay added her cell phone number to the paper just in case Lexie wanted to talk to her. Lexie promised to give Isabel a call and then left Lindsay to go back to her research.

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Please Review :)


	16. You Look Beautiful

**A/N: More Danny/Lindsay fluff. Thank you all for your reviews, sorry this has taken me so long to post.**

Friday after school Lindsay was getting really excited for her first official date with Danny. She made sure to tell her mother that she had a date Friday night so that there were no conflicts.

It was Lindsay's first date ever and she was nervous. With Madison as a friend, boys never really noticed Lindsay and with her parents who they were she was afraid to bring home any boys so dates never occurred. Danny already had her parent's approval and he had proved he only had eyes for her so that left her a nervous wreck.

Lindsay was able to clam herself when she realized that she had nothing to be nervous about they were already practically a couple.

Around 5:00pm Lindsay's cell phone rang and displayed a number she didn't recognize. She picked up, "hello?"

"Lindsay," the female voice on the other end questioned.

"Yea," Lindsay confirmed.

"It's Lexie. I wanted to let you know that I talked to Isabel Greenspan and she's agreed to help me," she explained.

"That's great," Lindsay said encouragingly.

Lexie took a deep breath and let it out. "I also told my parents. They surprised me, they were really supportive. We're building a case and will probably go forward with it next week," she said.

"That's really good Lexie. I'm glad that you decided to go through with it," Lindsay said sincerely.

"Ok, well, I just wanted to let you know," Lexie said sounding a little shy.

"Lexie," Lindsay said with compassion, "if you need me, just give me a call. Let me know when the court dates are, if I can make them I will."

"Thank you Lindsay, I'm so sorry I was nasty to you," Lexie apologized.

"It's ok Lexie. I know what being Madison's friend is like," Lindsay replied. Being friends with Madison meant doing what she did and said or become the focal point of her teases and putdowns.

Lexie smiled and said "good night," to which Lindsay replied "good night" and they both hung up.

Lindsay was happy to be able to help Lexie. When in group at the treatment center they learned that by helping others they were able to help themselves which proved true in this case. Lindsay was able to be there for someone in a similar position she was in and it made her feel important.

After hanging up with Lexie, Lindsay hopped into the shower, did her hair and then picked out something to wear. Danny had told her to dress casual but he wouldn't tell Lindsay where they were going.

At 7:00pm the door bell rang and Lindsay knew it was Danny. She and her mom were in the living room which was a room over from where the door was.

Before her dad opened the door, Lindsay's mother went over to Lindsay, hugged her and said "Have a good time sweetie." She pulled back and looked at Lindsay and then kissed her cheek. "I love you honey," she said.

Lindsay's dad opened the door and let Danny in. They shook hands as Lindsay and her mom came in from the other room. Lindsay was surprised when her dad came over to her, hugged her and told her to have a good time. When they pulled apart her dad said, "Just call us if you think you're going to be late."

"What's too late," Lindsay asked expecting him to say 10:00pm or something.

He smiled at her and placed a kiss on the top of her head, "You be the judge of that." Lindsay was shocked; she gave a quick nod and took Danny's hand as he led her out to a waiting taxi. Danny opened the door for Lindsay but before she got in he kissed her and said, "You look beautiful."

Part of what her parents had learned in their sessions was to let Lindsay have some freedoms, to trust her to make her own decisions and for them not to control every move she made. So they were doing that because they knew they could trust her and they wanted to help her.

Danny and Lindsay wound up at the Marriot Marquee in Times Square where they went to the restaurant called Broadway Lounge. They had a nice table for two by a window that overlooked Times Square. They talked, they laughed and they ate.

Lindsay told him all about what had happened with Lexie and Danny promised to go with Lindsay if she went to the trial which made Lindsay happy. After some dessert they decided to walk around Times Square for a while stopping now and again to kiss.

If Lindsay had any question about what they were, all that went out the window with each kiss, with each hand hold, with each gaze into the others eyes and with each hug but especially when he stopped her and looked her dead in the eyes and said "I think I've fallen in love with you." But there was no thinking; Danny knew he was in love.

Lindsay held his gaze and put her arms around his neck which Danny responded by putting his arms around her waist. Lindsay said lovingly, "I've been falling since the first day I met you." He smiled and they leaned into a very passionate kiss.

Around 10:30pm Lindsay decided to giver her parents a call to let them know that she would be home soon. The two took a cab back to her place and kissed one more time on the stoop before Lindsay let herself in to her home and Danny left.

Lindsay saw a note left to her from her parents that thanked her for calling and wished her a good-night. Lindsay felt on top of the world as she went up to her room and got ready for bed.

Danny had asked Lindsay if she would like to spend Saturday afternoon at his place watching a movie since he was only working in the morning and his father was working all day. She had agreed but said she would have to ask her parents which Lindsay would do the next day.

Lindsay let sleep overtake her as she thought about Danny.

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A/N: Sorry there really isn't much dialogue in this chapter and sorry it has taken me so long to post. The last two chapters are written but I like to look over them and make them better or longer or changes before I post them and I just haven't had time. I might even combine them just to make the post longer because they are kind of short.


	17. I'm Glad We Did This

**A/N: Sorry for the long, long wait. I started working and just lost interest in writing. I figured I should at least, finally, wrap up this fic since I already had the last two chapters written. I haven't really taken the time and care I took for other chapters with these last two so sorry for any mistakes. Also, sorry for the shortness of this chapter. I struggled with this chapter when I originally wrote it, I'm not sure if I like it or not.**

The next day Lindsay asked her mother if she could spend the afternoon at Danny's watching movies like they had planned. Her mother just asked that Lindsay finish her homework before she left which Lindsay complied with.

Lindsay sent Danny a text to let him know that she was able to join him. It was a warm day so after work Danny rode his motorcycle over to pick her up. Lindsay's dad had to go to his office for a few hours that day so it was Lindsay's mom who answered the door when Danny knocked.

"Hello Danny," she said as she ushered him in. "Can I get you anything to eat or drink," she asked.

"No thank you," he replied with a smile.

Lindsay's mom shut the door behind him and said, "Lindsay's just finishing up some homework, you can go right up."

Danny did just that. He'd never been upstairs in all the times he'd come over so he was a little lost but soon found Lindsay's room. He knocked to announce his presence. Lindsay was on her stomach on her bed with her books in front of her. When she heard the knock she looked up and smiled as soon as she saw it was Danny.

"Just give me one more second, I'm almost done," she said.

He smiled and said, "Don't rush," as he walked in and took a seat at her desk. He sat patiently and looked around as she finished up.

Within a matter of minutes she was done and they were walking back downstairs. Lindsay's mom asked that she be home for dinner which Lindsay said she would; they said good-bye, got on the bike and headed to Danny's.

When they got to his place, Danny made them some lunch and then they picked out a movie to watch. They sat on the couch in the living and began to watch. Lindsay had her legs curled under her and was leaning into Danny who had his arm around her.

At one point Lindsay looked up at him and he looked down at her and slowly their lips moved together and met in a kiss that became more and more passionate with each passing moment. The movie was soon forgotten as Lindsay lay down and Danny hovered over her still kissing.

It was a little uncomfortable for them and when Danny tried to get a little more comfortable he wound up falling off the couch.

Lindsay burst out laughing. Danny sat up and looked at her with a glint in his eyes. "You think that's funny," he asked. When Lindsay nodded yes he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her so she fell off the couch face down on top of him with her face merely inches from his.

They started kissing again and Danny rolled them so he was hovering above her again. He broke the kiss and moved to stand up. He put out his hands for her, she took it and he helped her get up. "Follow me," he said and took her hand and led her to his room.

When they got to the doorway he pulled her to him and kissed her again and they moved towards his bed where they fell onto it and moved to the head. Her hands started to move under his shirt and his did the same under hers.

When they stopped kissing for a minute to take a breath and enough air made it to Danny's brain he got worried. "Are you sure you want to do this," he asked as he moved a strand of hair out of Lindsay face. After what she had been through he wasn't sure what Lindsay would be comfortable doing.

Lindsay bit her lip and nodded. She had a hand on his neck so she pulled him closer and gave him a quick kiss before whispering, "Just go slow."

He nodded and then they started kissing again slowly. As Danny promised, they went slowly. They undressed each other slowly, Danny got a condom from a box that his brother bought him as a joke the last time he came to visit and they made love slowly.

For Lindsay it was nothing like when she was with Mr. Mason. With him she felt like she wasn't in control, with Danny she knew that whatever she said, he would listen; if she said stop, he would and that gave her a new sense of control.

For Danny, he had had sex before but he had never had such strong feelings for the girls like he did with Lindsay. What could he say, he was in love and so was she.

For a while after they just lay in his bed, her with his arm around her and she with her head on his chest. At one point she looked up at him and said, "I'm glad we did this," and kissed his chest.

"Me too," her replied and kissed the top of her head.

Eventually they decided to get up, get dressed and finish the movie. Lindsay didn't want to accidentally fall asleep and not get home on time.

They curled back up on the couch together and finished the movies. When it was time to get Lindsay home, they jumped onto Danny's bike and went back to her place.

With his hands on her shoulders and hers on his waist they had a long kiss good-night before she went into the house.

Lindsay ate dinner with her family and then went to her room to study a little and watch some TV before going to sleep.

She had some trouble getting to sleep that night; she missed having Danny's arms around her.

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A/N: After being molested by one guy and raped by another, I wasn't sure how Lindsay would feel about having sex with Danny but he's been there through a lot with her and I hope that it doesn't seem too soon.


	18. Follow Me

**A/N: Again, I'm not a lawyer so I don't know all the legal detail. This is the last chapter and mostly ties everything together. Sorry it's so short but thanks to all who stuck with me.**

**All mistakes are my own.  
**

Sunday Lindsay spent time with her parents but all she really wanted to do was spend time with Danny. Monday was uneventful but on Tuesday Lindsay noticed that Lexie wasn't in class. Wednesday after class she got a call from Lexie that Jason was arrested and was awaiting trial which was set for the following week.

Danny and Lindsay spent as much time as possible together. On Friday they got a second chance to be intimate after school when both of Lindsay's parents were at work. Lindsay really just loved lying in Danny's arms, it brought her comfort.

When the trial date finally approached it was set for Monday afternoon. Lindsay and Danny both went to the court house after school let out. They walked in as Lexie was testifying.

"I was looking for my coat when I heard someone walk in behind me…" she was saying. It had turned out that once news spread that Jason was going on trial for rape, a few other girls came forward with similar stories and were able to join in the suit. Lindsay had been the only one that had been interrupted by Madison, none of the other girls had been that lucky.

The evidence Lexie told Lindsay about was presented and more testimonies from the other girls were heard. The trial continued for the next few days. On the last day by the time school was over the jury was out deliberating.

When the jury came back and handed the clerk a piece of paper it was brought to the judge who read it and then said, "Does the jury have a verdict?"

"Yes we do, your honor," the forewoman replied. "We the jury, find Jason Devreaux guilty as charged."

The judge decided that the sentencing hearing would take place on Friday and then thanked the jury and dismissed them.

Lindsay and Danny were able to sit in on the sentencing hearing since they took the day off from school. The teachers understood Lindsay's need for closure. Lexie sat next to Lindsay for support as the sentence was read.

It was determined that Jason would get some jail time but he would probably get out on parole with good behavior. He also had to join the sex offender registry as well as go into a therapy group for rapists.

After the sentence was read everyone stood up and began moving around. Lindsay let out a breath and hugged Lexie. Lindsay may have not been able to bring charges against Jason but she was happy that someone else could.

She turned to Danny and kissed him and he wrapped her in a hug. "It's over," he whispered into her ear to which she whispered back, "yea, it is."

Back at school Lindsay and Lexie became pretty good friends. While she loved Danny, it was nice to be able to do some girly things with Lexie like shopping. Danny didn't mind as long as Lindsay was happy but he was also able to work more after school which meant more money to go on dates and buy gifts for Lindsay.

After Jason was found guilty Madison just brushed it off and soon found a new boyfriend. She still managed to have a group of girls following her every lead and Lindsay couldn't help but think that some things never change.

The school found a new Biology teacher, a 40 year old woman who used to teach in Chicago but moved mid term due to her husband getting a transfer to New York. She was nice and very passionate about the subject.

The Messer's and Monroe's still managed to have dinner together once in a while switching between the two houses.

As the weeks until summer break became less and less Lindsay found herself getting more and more excited. Danny was going to visit his mother and his sister Giovanna in LA for the month of July and Lindsay was going to take a college level course at UCLA for the same month. Danny's mother didn't live too far from UCLA so they would get to see a lot of each other.

Lindsay made sure to find a therapist at the university so she would be able to continue her sessions. She wanted to have a consistency with her sessions so she could continue to get better. It was important to her and it was nice to be able to unload on someone instead of keeping everything locked up.

Arrangements were made for Danny's sister Giovanna to pick both Lindsay and Danny up from the airport and help Lindsay move her stuff into her dorm room. Giovanna had heard a lot about Lindsay and was excited to meet her.

At the airport in New York Mr. and Mrs. Monroe as well as Mr. Messer said their good-byes to Danny and Lindsay at the security check point. Danny put out his hand for Lindsay which she took and said, "Follow me," which she gladly did.

The End

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A/N: So there you have it. After I believe 7-8 months I finally finished updating this fic. Sorry for the minimal dialoge in this shapter.


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